Mechanism tor railway-vehicles with electric motors rigidly



0. TSCHANZ.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES WITH ELECTRIC MOTORS RIGIDLY MOUNTED 0N SPRING SUPPORTED FRAMES.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25. IBIS.

Patented Aug. 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO TSCHANZ, OF BERNE, SWITZERLAND.

DRIVING MECHANISM. FOR RAILWAY-VEHICLES WITH ELECTRIC MOTORS RIGIDLY MOUNTED N SPRING-SUPPORTED FRAMES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

' Application filed November 25, 1916. Serial No. 133,333.

To all iohom it may concern: I

Be it known thatI, O'r'ro TSOHANZ, a citi- 'zen of the Swiss Confederation, and residing at Berne, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drivlng Mechanism for Railway-Vehicles with Electric Motors Rigidly Mounted on on the coupling member. use as a coupling member between the driv- Springsupported Frames, of which the following is a specification.

methods of construction have already been proposed in which all the transmission elements between the motor and the driving axle or axles are likewise carried by or connected with the spring-supported frame. The coupling member between the driving elements and the driving axle or axles in that case must be capable of not only imparting the entire torque of the motor to the driving axle or axles but also be capable of taking up the entire play of the bearing springs. It is the play of, the bearing springswhich places a very considerable additional strain on the coupling member, and this additional strain is still further increased, if the driving axle or axles are radially adjustable in the frame,or if the driving axle oraxles are carried in a separate tru'ck while the electric motor and the transmission elements are carried by the main frame.

My invention has for its object to reduce to a minimum the said additional strain To this end, I

ing axleand the last driving element which is fixed to the main frame and is placed outsidethe driving wheels, two universal joints conneotedby a shaft which is free to move longitudinally. Now, it is well known that the efficiency of a universal joint is greater as the angle of. the driven shaft with the driver is. smaller. In order to maintain as. small an .angleas possible the shaft connectin the said two universal joints is made as ong as,possible.- The length of this connecting shaft is limited by the overall dimensions within which the car or locomotivehas to be built; it also depends upon whether the universaljoint which is fixed to the axle is placed at the end of this axle nearest to the driving element or at the op-- posite end. In both cases the greatest possible length will be obtained by placing the universal joint which is fixed to the driving element at as great a horizontal distance from the center line of the car or locomotive as the overall dimensions will allow. t

In order to fulfil these conditions, the connection between the latter universal {pint and that fixed to the driving axle can, owever, only be effected by means of a connecting shaft passing throu h the center of the said driving element, w iiohis made hollow-for the purpose. If the'said connecting shaft passes also through the drive ing axle, which is also made hollow for ,the

purpose, and the universal joints are fixed at the extreme endsofthe said connecting shaft, the greatest possible length of, the

latter will have been reached. This arrangement has the additional advantageof giving easy access to the two universal joints.

The employment, as a couplingpmember, of two universal joints, as described, also permits a certain. play of the driving element relative to the driving axle in a longitudinal direction, so that the latter is not only free to move laterally, but can also be radially adjustable, without any additional strain being put thereby on the coupling member. The advantage of radial adj stability of a driving axle is, that a frame can be, supported ona large number of driving axles, without subjecting thewheel flanges to great wear, so that locomotives can be built with a rigid frame, for work which, otherwise, could only be done by articulated locomotives, the weight on the axles being the same in both cases. a Examples of my invention as applied to a locomotive are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which shows a vertical cross section and the extremelimit beyond which no part of the locomotive must, go. said limits being indicated in dotted lines P. j The locomotive frame R is supported by the bearings TJ 011111161 driving axle T springs F (conventionally illustrated) being interposed between theframe and the said bearings. The shaft A of the electric motor ;M is carried in the bearings L? wh ch are rigidly connected With the frame B. On the V shaft A is mounted adriving pinion; Z which is in mesh with the driving gear B extending freely through the said hub G to a second universal joint G 'the latter being connected to 'the' driving v axle T,""on which are mounted the two' drivingfjvvheels. Tomake the shaft B as long'as possible-the "universal jointQG may Fbe placed' at the ex tre'mel end of the driving axle, *the latter be ngghollow and the shaft" B; extending freely therethroughas shownin Fig; j1.' fAs "the other is 'j alacedbn the outside; of drivinggear vheel, they are as fan-apart as possi'ble,'s o that when the"hollowjbos s of the gear wheel Z moves verticallyfrelative to the hollow driving a'xle T'due to the action ofthe springlor other. cause, the r angu- "lar"displaoement of the 'coupling shaft B withregardjtothe driving axle Tris reduced to a minimum, a A a V ZIndrdei 'to permit of a radial adjustment of the driving axle T relative to the fixed frame R, the hollow axle T fandthe' Shae: B

may have longitudinal play relative to each other, which'is provided for in the universal joint G which the shaft 'B' is"keyed br otherwise connected so as to be free to move in' the direction of itsaxis.

It will 'be acted that'""the 'shhftB infithe arm-interned,- extends'throu'gh two hollow members, namely, the hub G and the driving axle T1 and that the two universal joints" Gr and G are at the" outer" opposite ends "of these hollow members.

thatboth of these universal'joints bein the positions illustrated; With the j oint G in the position shown I do not 'wish"to be limited to the placing of the joint G at the extreme opposite end of the, driving axle T, or with the "joint G 'in the position illustrated, I do not wish 'to be limited td'the placing of the joint G atthe eiitr'eme bpposite'end of the hub. i

Having thus 'described' my invention what I claim is: j r

1. In electrically operated railwayjva hides, the combination with driving wheels, a driving axle carried thereby, a springsupported vehicle'frame and an electricmotor mounted thereonaof means fortransmjitting power from said electricm'otorincludinga gearmember carriedby "said frame and disposedsubstantiallyfco-axial with said driv- Ting wheels outside of'thelatter, nd'iaeahs for transmittingf'po'wer from s aidg'ear member" to said driving? axle, "incIiId'ing'F'a driveshaftextending fieay threugmsaia *nec-ting said shaft and said-axle.

opd univ rsalijjoint connecting said shaft and sald'axle.

ftric motor'mount'ed thereon,' of"means for It "is, not essential to the. carrying out 'of tiny invention gear member, a universal joint connecting -sa1 ;l shaft and the outer side of said gear member, and a second universal joint con- 2. lnelectrically' operated railway vehic'les, the combination with driving wheels, a drivingaxle carried thereby, aspring 's'upported vehicleframe and an electric motor mounted thereon, ofineans for transmitting power from said electric motor includingaa gear member carried by said frame'and dis p'osedsubstantially oo-axial with saiddriv- Ting wheels, I outside of' jthe latter, and means for transmitting p'ewer'from said 'gear'mem- 'berl to said drivingQaXle including a drive "shaft extending freely through said gear a member and centrally 'thro'ugh" said .faiile, a-

universal'joint connectingsaid sh aft'a'nd the outer side of said gear'niembenYandTa sec- 1 3. In electrically operated railway [vehicles ythe combination with driving wheels, a' hbl'l'ow driving jaXlc carried thereby, a springsuppo'rted vehicle frame and an 'elec- "transmitting power from said electricmotor including f a gear member carried a by said frame anddisposed substantial-1y co-axia] v with saidfc'lriying 'wheelsoutside of the lat- '9'5 ter, and means for transmitting power from 's'aldfgear member' to said drlvmg aXle, 1 n.

eluding a drive eifrten'ding jleng thwise through saidaxle, a universal'joint connectingsaid gear member' and'sjaid shaft, anda T00 "second universal. joint connecting said "and said a'Xle atthe arena of the latter.

"f1; In electrically operated railway veholes, the -combination1with driving wheels,

a t n wdriving axle carried th'ereb-y, a 65 springjsuppor t'ed vehicle frame and an electridmotormounted thereon, of 'means; for

transmitting power from saidelec'tric motor including a gear member carried by" said 'framean'd disposed substantially co-axial with said' driving wheels outside of the latter, and means'fortransmitting powerffr'om 7 said gear member to said driving axle, in cluding a drive shaft extending lengthwise through b ith'sfid gear member and said axle, a universal joint connecting said shaft -and the outer s deof said gearj member, and a second unlversal 1011113 connectlng said shaft and 'tlieopp'osite end of said a'x1 I 5.-In "electridally" operated railway ve- 1 20 hicles," the combination" with a spring supported,'veh1cle frame, an electric motor mounted thereon, a driving axle and driving'wheels carried thereby, of meansrigidly connected yvithsaid vehicle frameand fjlo- 1'25 cated outside of said driving" wheels'jfor transmittlngpower' from said electric motor,

"said means" includinga' idriving gear wheel havingfan openin'gfthroitgh the center thereer; aerate extending through-saidihoIldw 130 center, a universal joint connectin said gear wheel and said shaft, and a secon universal joint connecting said shaft and said axle.

6'. In combination, a driving axle, driving wheels carried thereby, a vehicle frame relatively movable in respect to said axle and includin a bearing outside of said driving whee s, a gear member carried by said bearing, a shaft extending lengthwise through said bearing, and a pair of universal joints at opposite ends of said shaft, one connected to said gear member and the other to said axle.

7. In combination, a hollow driving axle, driving wheels carried thereby, a vehicle frame relatively movable in respect to said axle and including a bearing outside of said driving wheels, a gear member carried by said bearing, a shaft extending lengthwise through said axle, and a pair of universal joints at opposite ends of said shaft, one connected to said gear member and the other to said axle.

8. In a vehicle, the combination of an axle, a vehicle frame relatively movable in respect thereto, a gear wheel carried by said frame and disposed substantially co-axial with said axle, a power transmitting member, and a pair of universal joints, one connecting said member and said axle and the other connecting said member and said gear.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OTTO TSCHANZ.

Witnesses HANS Rmnnnxonon'r, FRIEDRICH MONING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

